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Did you have appointments for most of your wine tastings? I bought several bottles of Barolo (1990) at a big clearance sale at a local wine shop (untasted) for $7 a bottle. I've yet to open any, but can't imagine it not being good unless it wasn't properly cellared.

Was the Vinum Alba event similar to the Chianti festival? Pay a certain amount of euro and get a certain number tastes (and your glass)?

I made appointments for all the winery visits.
I haven't been to the Chianti festival. However, the format you describe is what was used at Vinum Alba. We were able to taste freely and in unlimited quantity, because we paid for a professionally guided barolo tasting (20 euros each). The normal price for the general public was 12 euros for 10 (I think it was 10) tastings.

When were you there? We also recently returned from a 9 day trip to Piemonte!! I wonder whether we did not overlap!!

We were in several of the place you mention, others that you did not. But we had more time there of course than you. Sorry about your car troubles and even more about your raw meat eating experience. On our last eve at the B&B we stayed, I was "treated" to a raw meat appetizer. I was beside myself but had to very politely decline, knowing full well that this is quite the delicacy there, by saying that I just cannot eat uncooked meat.